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,moke y Signals
A PubUcation of the Grand Ronde Tribe JT T JT Vy Vfru WWW.grandronde.org
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Photo by Michelle Alalmo
Tribal members, from left, Nikki Gref srud, Makya Grefsrud, 4, and TJ. Graff srud walk tha powwow arana during
his coming out waaring Marca Norwast's ragalia, which was gifftad to him aftar Norwast walkad on on May 22,
during tha Marcallus Norwast Memorial Vatarans Powwow at tha Uyxat Powwow Grounds on Friday, July 8. TJ.
is married to Nikki, Norwast's granddaughter, and Makya is their son.
2011 Veterans Powwow is all about honoring Norwest
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
On the evening of Friday,
July 8, Sharon Norwest
and her family marked
the first Marcellus Norwest
Memorial Veterans Powwow
with a giveaway to more than
100 friends and neighbors.
The Veterans Powwow was
renamed this year to honor the
Tribal Elder and Army veteran
who walked on on May 22.
Marce led the effort to start
both the Veterans Powwow,
See POWWOW
continued on pages 10-11
r
a
Harold Dean Mercier
April 18, 1930 -July 6, 2011
Tribal Elder Harold Dean
Mercier, 81, walked on peace
fully on Wednesday, July 6,
2011, at his home in Grand
Ronde with his family around
him.
Mercier was an important
part of the Tribe's quest for1
Restoration in the early 1980s
and served on that era's Tribal
Council. At the request of his
family, a feature story abdui
his life will appear in the Aug.
1 issue of Smoke Signals in
stead of today's edition.
His walking on notice ap
pears in today's edition on
Page 16. n
Tribal police
bill awaits
gov's signature
By Dean Rhodes
Smoke Signals editor
Tribal police officers in Oregon
will soon be recognized as po
lice officers under state law.
A bill that will hopefully foster
greater cooperation between Or
egon law enforcement agencies and
the police forces of the nine federal
See POLICE
continued on page 5
Tribal member Brandy Starmer, 15, fighting cancer
By Ron Karten
Smoke Signals staff writer
Tribal member Brandy Starmer and her
mother, Tonya, also a Tribal member, live
in the eastern Oregon town of Wallowa,
but they recently spent six weeks in Portland
fighting cancer.
It's not a one-person job.
Tonya is the daughter of Tribal Elder Donald
Gene Jeffers.
Following a fall on ice last December, when
Brandy landed on the back of her head, symp
toms of a larger problem emerged. In April, the
Starmers arrived in Portland where doctors
removed a cancerous tumor from the spot. The
doctors said that the tumor had been there for
more than a year.
The operation was successful. So far so good.
They returned home last week, and plan to be
See BRANDY
continued on page 9
Tribal member Brandy Starmer, 1 5, and her
mother Tonya recently spent six weeks in
Portland for Brandy to be treated for cancer
at Oregon Health & Science University's
Doernbecher Children's Hospital.
Photo by Michelle Alalmo
v -v.- s